The Liberté de Gandon definitive stamp series, introduced in 1982, was chosen by President François Mitterrand to replace the Sabine series, which he felt did not sufficiently embody republican ideals. Instead, he selected a design Pierre Gandon had originally proposed in 1976 based on Eugène Delacroix’s famous painting Liberty Leading the People (La Liberté guidant le peuple).
The stamp depicts Marianne as the allegorical figure of Liberty from Delacroix’s painting, a powerful symbol of the French Republic, freedom, and popular sovereignty. By drawing on one of France’s most iconic national artworks—already familiar from the 100-franc banknote—the design linked everyday postage to the revolutionary values of liberty and citizenship.
Gandon adapted the painting into a finely engraved profile suitable for mass postal use while retaining its classical dignity and symbolic force. The inscription République française further emphasized the republican message.
In contrast to the conciliatory symbolism of the Sabine series, the Liberté stamps presented a more explicit affirmation of the Republic’s founding ideals—liberty, civic action, and national identity—making them a fitting emblem for the early Mitterrand era.
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